Bluesky CEO Jay Graber resigns from leadership role

Bluesky CEO Jay Graber is stepping down from the company’s top leadership position and moving into a new role as chief innovation officer, Bluesky announced on Monday.

Graber, who helped grow the social platform, a rival to X and Threads, to 43 million users while also advancing development of its underlying AT Protocol, will be succeeded on an interim basis by Toni Schneider. Schneider is the former CEO of Automattic and a partner at True Ventures.

Both Automattic and True Ventures are investors in Bluesky.

In a blog post announcing the leadership shift, Graber said that now that Bluesky has matured as a company, it needs a “seasoned operator focused on scaling and execution.” She added that her own strengths are better aligned with building Bluesky’s technology.

“I’m most energised by exploring new ideas, bringing a vision to life, and helping people discover their strengths. Transitioning to a more focused role where I can do what brings me energy is my way of putting that belief into practice,” Graber said.

The company said its board will begin searching for a permanent chief executive. In the meantime, Schneider’s background at Automattic — the company that commercialised WordPress’s open-source technology through WordPress.com — gives him experience balancing open-source infrastructure with the demands of running a profitable business.

Under Graber’s leadership, Bluesky experienced notable periods of growth, especially after Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter (now X) led to significant changes in the platform’s product and community. At the same time, Bluesky has also faced moderation challenges as it expanded. Some users wanted the company to take a more aggressive approach, while Bluesky instead promoted moderation tools that individual users could manage for themselves.

The company is now also facing new challenges in complying with a growing number of age-assurance laws targeting social media platforms. One such law in Mississippi led Bluesky to block access to the state altogether. Other state laws, including those in Ohio, South Dakota, and Wyoming, have required the company to begin age verification. For someone focused on building a new social networking protocol, such compliance fights are less appealing.

In his own blog post, Schneider highlighted Bluesky’s growth to more than 40 million users and an ecosystem of over 500 active apps. He said the company’s next phase will focus on continued expansion while also creating room for third-party developers to succeed. During this transition period, Schneider will remain active in his role at True Ventures.

“Bluesky has cracked a case that stumped the industry for years: How to create a social network that has the best of both worlds. The personal freedom and ownership that comes from being part of an open network and the immediacy and ease of use that people expect from modern social services,” Schneider wrote.